(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light delivery systems and, more particularly, to a semantic lighting that delivers appropriate light (spectrum, intensity, color, contrast, temperature, angle, focus, data) to a subject by analyzing the properties of the subject (nature, dimensions, shape, texture, contrast, reflectivity, transparence, temperature, etc.), the existing illumination, the eye characteristics of the human user and the relative position of the subject with respect to the source of light and user. In addition, the semantic light delivers dynamic light that is changing in time and in sync with the semantic of the task requiring illumination.
(2) Description of Prior Art
Conventional lighting devices deliver static light and are agnostic to the user, the subject or the environment. Thus, such lighting devices are designed to illuminate a predefined, average illumination scene for an average user. This completely overlooks the fact that the light is perceived differently by different people and that the lighting requirements are different for each particular task. Furthermore the lighting requirement is dependent on the visual qualities of the subject being illuminated. It is well-known that appropriate light can enhance virtually any human experience and make the task at hand easier to perform. Bright light is better for reading, soft warm light for resting, etc. Interior designers recognize this and carefully assess the quality of ambient lighting in a room before installing a lighting system. Along with color, many aspects of a light source help establish task-suitable lighting. Intensity, direction and angle, number of lights, and shadows all play a major role in defining the lighting quality of a scene. Lighting is a key element in human performance and productivity. Thus, good interior designers consider all aspect of the light needed to properly illuminate a room, including intensity, spectrum, directionality, etc. Unfortunately, once the lights are installed they are relatively static. Despite changing seasons, daylight hours, moving occupants of the house, rearranged furniture, etc., conventional lighting does not adapt.
It would be greatly advantageous to provide a dynamic light system (changing in time and in sync with the task performed), a semantic lighting system (adapting to the illuminated subject visual properties), both personalized (adapting to the eye characteristic of the user) and task specific (adapting to the requirement of a particular task), for delivering appropriate light to a subject by controlling a range of variables (spectrum, intensity, color, contrast, temperature, angle, focus, data).